• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.91-100
• /
• 2004

Working men and women experience the overload of labor and the conflict between work and family according to the increase of working women and working couples. Work-family conflict can have adverse effects on quality of life and satisfaction with employees' work lives. And severe conflicts can interfere with employees' concentration on their jobs and increase absenteeism. So, employers are helping to keep employees the balance of work-family by supporting them through family friendly policies. This study emphasized the necessity of work-family balance through the statistical data and importance on the family. And the related studies and efforts of outstanding companies in USA and Korea are provided. Based on this study, programs on work-family balance must be developed and attentions of working families, employers, communities are needed.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.350-356
• /
• 2022

Background: Although sick leave is a complex phenomenon, it is believed that there is potential for prevention at the workplace. However, little is known about this potential and what specific measures should be implemented. The purpose of the study was to identify perceived reasons to take work-related sick leave and to suggest preventive measures. The study was completed before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, and the risk factors identified may have been amplified during the pandemic. Methods: An in-depth cross-sectional survey was conducted across a randomly selected sample of hospital nurses in Norway. The national sample comprised 1,297 nurses who participated in a survey about their sick leave during the previous 6 months. An open-ended question about perceived reasons for work-related sick leave was included to gather qualitative information. Results: Among hospital nurses, 27% of the last occurring sick leave incidents were perceived to be work-related. The most common reasons were high physical workload, high work pace, sleep problems, catching a viral or bacterial infection from patients or colleagues, and low staffing. Conclusions: Over a quarter of the last occurring sick leave incidents among Norwegian hospital nurses are potentially preventable. To retain and optimize scarce hospital nursing resources, strategies to reduce work-related sick leave may provide human and financial benefits. Preventive measures may include careful monitoring of nurses' workload and pace, optimizing work schedules to reduce the risk of sleep problems, and increasing staffing to prevent stress and work overload.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.149-156
• /
• 2017

In this paper, we propose to enhance a Physical working conditions to decrease absence from work. we demonstrated the correlation of worker's absence with various environmental factors in workplace by surveying 6,962 workers. As result, first, concerning exposure to physical work factors, most of them complained of vibration, and concerning exposure to improper working posture, most of them complained of repetitive arm and hand motions. Second, the absence experience had correlations with age, monthly income, smoking, number of employees, long term working, and shift work, and of the physical factors, hand vibration, noise, high temperature, low temperature and improper working posture had correlations with physical pain posture, movement of people and carrying heavy materials. Third, experience of exposure to hand vibration, noise and low temperature of the physical factors had impact on absence, and of the improper working posture, physical pain posture and carrying heavy stuff had impacts on absence. Through this study, it was found that of the work factors of Korean workers, physical factors and improper working posture had impacts on absence. The results of this study confirmed that physical factors and inappropriate working posture among work factors influenced the absenteeism. Therefore, it is required to improve the work environment regarding physical risk factors and prepare a systematic management plan.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.276-281
• /
• 2017

Background: The present study was carried out to assess the relationship between sickness absence and occupational stress, sleep quality, and amplitude and stability of circadian rhythm as well as to determine contributing factors of sickness absence. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 400 randomly selected employees of an Iranian gas company. The data were collected using Pittsburgh sleep quality index, Karolinska sleepiness scale, circadian type inventory, and Osipow occupational stress questionnaires. Results: The mean age and job tenure of the participants were $33.18{\pm}5.64years$ and $6.06{\pm}4.99years$, respectively. Also, the participants had been absent from work on average 2.16 days a year. According to the results, 209 participants had no absences, 129 participants had short-term absences, and 62 participants had long-term absences. The results showed a significant relationship between short-term absenteeism and amplitude of circadian rhythm [odds ratio (OR) = 6.13], sleep quality (OR = 14.46), sleepiness (OR = 2.08), role boundary (OR = 6.45), and responsibility (OR = 5.23). Long-term absenteeism was also significantly associated with amplitude of circadian rhythm (OR = 2.42), sleep quality (OR = 21.56), sleepiness (OR = 6.44), role overload (OR = 4.84), role boundary (OR = 4.27), and responsibility (OR = 3.72). Conclusion: The results revealed that poor sleep quality, amplitude of circadian rhythm, and occupational stress were the contributing factors for sickness absence in the study population.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2010

The Finnish risk assessment practice is based on the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act aiming to improve working conditions in order maintain the employees' work ability, and to prevent occupational accidents and diseases. In practice there are hundreds of risk assessment methods in use. A simple method is used in small and medium sized enterprises and more complex risk evaluation methods in larger work places. Does the risk management function in the work places in Finland? According to our experience something more is needed. That is, understanding of common and company related benefits of risk management. The wider conclusion is that commitment for risk assessment in Finland is high enough. However, in those enterprises where OSH management was at an acceptable level or above it, there were also more varied and more successfully accomplished actions to remove or reduce the risks than in enterprises, where OSH management was in lower level. In risk assessment it is important to process active technical prevention and exact communication, increase work place attraction and increase job satisfaction and motivation. Investments in OSH are also good business. Low absenteeism due to illness or accidents increases directly the production results by improved quality and quantity of the product. In general Finnish studies have consistently shown that the return of an invested euro is three to seven-old. In national level, according to our calculations the savings could be even 20% of our gross national product.

• Journal of Korean Dental Hygiene Science
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.67-75
• /
• 2021

Background: Workers' oral health problems result in work disruption, including absenteeism or early leave, which reduces work efficiency. This study was conducted to investigate the subjective oral health status and oral problems of workers,and to identify the factors disrupting workflow due to oral problems. Methods: A self-report questionnaire was administered to 300 industrial workers in a metropolitan area. A total of 284 individuals were finally analyzed, after excluding the data of 16 workers who had missing responses among the recovered questionnaires. Results: Subjective oral health status was average in 44.4%, healthy in 32.0%, and unhealthy in 16.9% of the study population. Subjective oral health problems were the highest in the order of food impaction(28.9%), cavity(26.8%), tooth sensitivity (22.9%), and calculus(21.1%). However, sudden and unexplained tooth pain (12.0%), gum swelling and tooth mobility (10.2%), and wisdom tooth pain (4.9%) were relatively low. The average monthly income (p<.05) and subjective oral health status (p<.01) were statistically significant factors interrupting workflow. Conclusion: To minimize workers' oral health problems and work disruption due to oral diseases, it is necessary to promote workers' oral health and oral disease prevention programs within the workplace.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.353-360
• /
• 2020

Background: Urban bus drivers work under conditions that are among the most demanding, stressful, and unhealthy with higher rates of mortality and morbidity as well as absenteeism and turnover. Methods: Drawing on the job demand-resource model, this study investigates the impacts of job characteristics on emotional exhaustion and the effects of emotional exhaustion on job outcomes (including job satisfaction, life satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention) in the context of bus drivers. Results: Using self-reported survey data collected from a sample of 320 Taiwanese urban bus drivers, results reveal that role overload and work-family conflict (as job demand factors) positively relate to emotional exhaustion, and organizational support (as a job resource factor) is negatively associated with emotional exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion has negative effects on both job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Job satisfaction positively leads to life satisfaction, whereas organizational commitment negatively relates to turnover intention. Conclusion: This study concludes that role overload and work-family conflict as two stressors related to job demands and organizational support as the job resource factor to affect emotional exhaustion which further influence well-being in bus driver context. The moderating effects of both extraversion and neuroticism on the relationship between job demands and emotional exhaustion are evident.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.91-108
• /
• 2003

Psychological stress is a growing issue in work stress research because work stressors are closely related to depression； and depression, in turn, decreases organizational effectiveness. Considering such causal relationships of work stress, a comprehensive source to control work stress is needed for worksite mental well-being. This study was conducted to identify how social support at work controlled work stress and which characteristics of social support were effective on work stress reduction. The study participants were 240 workers employed in a public hospital in Georgia, U.S.A self-administered survey was given to employees with their pay slips, and followed by a hospital wide voice reminder for 7 days. Surveys were conducted over a 20-day period. The questionnaires asked about job demands, job control, social support at work, depression, job performance, absenteeism, and demographics. The social support construct was structured on the source of support at work and the kinds of support were provided. Statistical analyses were conducted in the structural equation modeling approach. Social support at work was directly related to high job control, low depression, and high job performance. High score of social support at work were significantly associated with high job control, low depressive symptoms, and high job performance. By source of support, only organizational support was positively related to high job control. Organizational support was more effective than supervisor and coworker support. Any stressors and their outcomes were not differenciated by the kinds of support. This result indicated that job control was influenced more by the source of support than the kinds of support provided at work； and the most efficient source of support was the organization. Organizational support was a strong factor in improving workers" perceived controllability of their jobs from a work stress reduction perspective.tive.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.206-214
• /
• 2023

Objectives: To determine the effect of the various type and number of shift work on sociopsychological stress in the university hospital nurses in Seoul, South Korea. Methods: Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire that included general characteristics, the type and number of shift work in the past 4 weeks and the an sociopsychological stress based on PWI-SF. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the effect of shift work by types on sociopsychological stress of university hospital nurses using SAS 9.4 and it adjusted general characteristics by the additional models. Results: When the number of night shift work 3 or 4 compared to 0, sociopsychological stress was significantly high(OR=2.16, 95% CI=1.29-3.65). When 5 or more, it was higher(OR=2.39, 95% CI=1.55-3.72). Two continuous night shift work compared to 0 increased sociopsychological stress(OR=2.37, 95% CI=1.49-3.81) and 3 or more even more(OR=2.70, 95% CI=1.72-4.27). If the shift work type changes 14 or 15 times compare to below 11, sociopsychological stress is increased and even higher when 15 or more times but it's not significant after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions: It suggests that workplace with nurse expose to shift work should be on lookout for more than three night shift work, more than two continuous night shift work and more than 14 shift work change which can lead to burnout, absenteeism, depression and decreased productivity.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.228-234
• /
• 2020

Background: The concept of social capital has its focus on cooperative relations in the workplace. This study investigates the association between social capital and sickness absence among workers in 41 work groups in the Danish dairy industry and examines the possible effects of an intervention on social capital in the workplace on sickness absence. Methods: A sample of 791 dairy workers working in 41 work groups that participated in an intervention study on social capital filled in a questionnaire on four subtypes of social capital, and social capital scores from individual participants were aggregated to the level of work groups. Sickness absence was measured at the level of work groups in company registers as the two-year average percentage of working time lost to sickness absence. Group-level associations between social capital and sickness absence were analyzed using multilevel linear regression analysis. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, group size, and random effects at the workplace level. Results: We found statistically significant associations between social capital within work groups, social capital in relation to the immediate manager, and social capital toward the workplace as a whole on the one side and sickness absence on the other side. We found no support for any effects of the intervention on sickness absence. Conclusion: The work group level of social capital is associated with the work group level of sickness absence. However, the intervention to enhance group-level social capital had no effect on reducing sickness absence in the intervention group.